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Depth From Above: Atlantic Technology Delivers No-Compromise In-Ceiling LCR Speakers (31/10/2005)

Atlantic Technology debuted the ICTS-6LCR speaker at the CEDIA Expo here today, giving installers a solution to the problem of putting great sound in theaters that require ceiling mounted speakers. The ICTS-6LCR is the most advanced ceiling speaker that the company has designed for use as the front channels of a home theater or high end audio system.

"If you can't adapt the room to your equipment, you've got to adapt the equipment to the room," said Atlantic Technology President Peter Tribeman. "With the ICTS-6LCR, in combination with our Tri-Mode ceiling surround speakers, and in-wall or corner mounted SCorES subwoofers, we can now offer installers and consumers a complete in-ceiling home theater system that leaves nothing to be desired."

Typical ceiling mounted speakers suffer from poor imaging and depth, because the midrange and bass signals are directed straight down, rather than at the listener. While many ceiling speakers employ directional tweeter mechanisms, these only affect a small portion of the overall frequency range. In particular, the critical upper midrange that represents most of the dialogue in a film is still plagued by a lack of focus.

To compensate for these problems, Atlantic's ICTS-6LCR incorporates two simple but crucial adjustments in speaker design that allow it to deliver the clear focused soundfield that good theater demands. First, is its use of a heavy-duty 6-1/2-inch woofer that is angled 15 degrees toward the listener, improving the directionality of the lower midrange band. The driver is constructed of Mica/Graphite loaded polymer, and is capable of reproducing bass signals down to 52 Hz.

Second, the ICTS-6LCR employs a special version of the company's 1-inch silk dome tweeter that covers an unusually wide portion of the sound spectrum. Its crossover point of 2.2 kHz is a full octave lower than that of most conventional ceiling speakers. This allows the most important part of the sound spectrum to be aimed and focused, thanks to the speaker's pivoting tweeter mount. The speaker also includes a front-mounted three-position tweeter level control, allowing installers and owners to adjust tweeter output to compensate for the acoustics of the listening room.

The ICTS-6LCR will be available in December at a suggested retail price of $450 each.

www.atlantictechnology.com